


Bitch

by ketabat



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Adopts a Demodog, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Drabble, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Monster-hunting, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26319250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ketabat/pseuds/ketabat
Summary: Billy laughs wildly, delighted. “Yo, Harrington!” he yells out. “Check this out!”Steve has his bat propped on his shoulder when he approaches. “Reminds me of Dart,” he comments, grinning lopsided. “Kill it.”or, billy adopts a demodog and names herbitch.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Demodog, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 11
Kudos: 169





	Bitch

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on tumblr. :)

“Watch out!”  
  
Billy barely has the chance to turn around before he’s tackled to the ground. His gun falls out of his hand and slides across the concrete road. “Shit. Shit, fuck, get the fuck _off_ _of_ _me_ –” he’s trying to topple the monster over, push it off him and buy himself time to get a hold on his weapon.  
  
It moves in close, snarling deep in its throat as it snots over Billy’s face. Then its face opens up to reveal rows after rows after _rows_ of teeth. “Take your fuckin’ time, Harrington!” Billy yells out, trying to push the flower-mouth closed. It’s using its hands, pawing at Billy’s clothes like a _whore_.  
  
“Fucking _busy_ here!” Steve shouts back. He blindly kicks the gun to Billy though.  
  
Billy grabs it as he knees the dog off him. It shrinks back with a whimper, makes Billy lift a brow as he brings himself to his feet. “How do you like that you ugly bitch?” he aims the gun at it, smug to have regained the upper hand. Then his eyes fall to the melted Snickers bar held in its hand and he–  
  
He feels his eyes soften. “You seriously steal my chocolate bar?” he asks. Knows the thing doesn’t understand. It ignores him as it throws the bar, wrapper and all, into its mouth. Face. Whatever.  
  
Billy laughs wildly, delighted. “Yo, Harrington!” he yells out. “Check _this_ out!”  
  
Steve has his bat propped on his shoulder when he approaches. “Reminds me of Dart,” he comments, grinning lopsided. “Kill it.”  
  
“What the fuck, man?” Billy glares at Steve. “I’m not fuckin’ killing it, it just wanted a snack.”  
  
Steve shrugs, swings his bat off his shoulder and moves closer to stick it in the distracted Demodog. Billy grabs him by the wrist. “I said no,” he restates. “Thing’s my responsibility now.”  
  
Said _thing_ crawls closer, attempting furtiveness, and sniffs at Billy’s clothes in search of another snack. Billy looks down at it. He reaches a hand out and runs it over a cold, slimy hide. The demodog pushes into the touch, fucking _purrs_ , face undulating with the sound.  
  
“Oh my god, this isn’t happening right now,” Steve mutters.  
  
“You’re just jealous,” Billy answers quietly. “..’m calling her Bitch.”  
  
“Creative, Hargrove.”  
  
“Green isn’t your color, Harrington.”  
  
Steve tuts his tongue, reaches out to pet the thing, but it snaps its petals at him, makes him flinch back and cradle his hand to his chest like it’s just been burnt.

…

Monster-hunting becomes harder from then on.  
  
Because every time Billy comes _near_ one of them, _Bitch_ comes to his rescue, shields him. Fucking _kills_ its own kin _for him._ He’s flattered. Not as much as he would be if Steve didn’t laugh at him every time and say shit like, ‘Ooh, letting some _bitch_ protect you, Hargrove?’  
  
He brings snacks every time. Eventually learns that _Bitch_ likes peanut butter the most. Loves white chocolate. He brings her sour patches one time and she hurls all over the ground. So that’s a solid _no_. He learns that she likes the smell of his vetiver cologne, goes as far as rubbing her face into Steve’s side when she smells the jacket Billy’d handed him.  
  
Steve’s cautious when he lifts a hand and pets her on the head. His grossed out grimace then turns to a soft smile and Billy looks downcast and away, brings his cigarette to his lips one last time before flicking it to the ground.  
  
He doesn’t have the chance to put it out. Bitch runs to it, puts it in her mouth, makes Billy tut his tongue and stand upright to say, “No!” like a strict parent. She makes a wounded sound and Billy taps on her face twice, like he’s telling her to _open up._  
  
And she– she _does_. Steve laughs, watching Billy pluck his cigarette off one of her teeth and shove it into his pocket. He pats her corolla and she closes her face again.  
  
“She really likes you.”  
  
“Bitches love me.”  
  
“Har-har,” Steve rolls his eyes. “You know it’s just a matter of time before she tries eating _you,_ right?”  
  
Billy gives an impassive hum.  
  
“It’s late. We should get going.”

…

There’s a ceaseless and wet _slapping_ on his window. A soft snarl and a myriad of different attention-seeking sounds.  
  
The window blurs into Billy’s sight as he straddles the line between sleep and wakefulness.  
  
Then his eyes bug open and he flings his covers off him, goes dizzy with how fast he stands up to rush over to his window and open it. And. Bitch’s there. She’s sniffing at his windowsill like she’d scented him all the way here. “The fuck are you _doing here?”_ he grits out.  
  
She just– rubs her face on his, making Billy huff and push her face away. “You’re disgusting,” he mutters. “I’m not letting you into my room.”  
  
He climbs out of the window and nudges her to face the opposite way. “I’m walking you back into the forest. _Your_ home. You hear me?”  
  
She obviously doesn’t understand. Even if she _did,_ she doesn’t seem to _care_. Content with Billy’s presence beside her.

…

He needs time alone. He doesn’t need Max nagging at him, and he doesn’t need Steve trying to be playful and he doesn’t need Joyce being the mother he never _had._ He just needs to be alone with his thoughts.  
  
He parks his car at the quarry and starts pacing. Throws rocks down into the water below. Contemplates throwing himself next.  
  
He can hear the second Bitch comes to join him. Stops at his side and pushes him back like she can read his thoughts. He pushes her away, not very kindly, says, “Fuck off. You don’t get _anything_.”  
  
She takes a step closer and tries nuzzling into his side, but he pushes again, a little sterner. “Get any closer and I’m throwing _you_ down next.”  
  
She leaves. Only to come back a minute later with a dead rabbit pinched in her mouth. She puts it on the ground, pushes it his way and Billy _isn’t in the mood._ Kicks it back at her. Makes her draw back, all sad and offended. Then she pushes the carcass back in his direction, a little more insistent, makes an angry sound like she’s telling him to _eat._  
  
“Just– Jesus Christ, _FUCK OFF!”  
  
_ She listens this time. Doesn’t get it but can probably smell anger on him and hear it in his voice. So she moves back, back, back until she’s curled up on the hood of his camaro.  
  
Billy paces more, feels hot tears burn behind his eyelids. He’s exhausted. He’s so–  
  
So tired.

…

“So closing the rift will kill everything outside it?” Billy asks.  
  
“Exactly,” Dustin nods. “Well. Everything linked to the Upside Down.”  
  
Billy’s jaw clenches. He looks at Steve and Steve looks down, like he’s saying _there’s nothing I can do._  
  
“No,” Billy breathes. “No. The fuck? Some of those things are _good._ You’re not doing this shit. I won’t allow it.”  
  
“It isn’t up to you,” Lucas comments from the corner of the room.  
  
“Besides, most of them are like, really wild,” Max adds, nodding her head to her words.  
  
“Not _all of them,”_ Billy snaps. “Not all of them. You’re just going to kill them all because _most of them are like, really wild?”_ he mimics her voice with one too babyish. Makes her roll her eyes.  
  
“What do you care?” Mike has this disgusted face. As per usual. Always looks like he has an upset stomach.  
  
Billy opens his mouth, then closes it and looks to the side, tongue pushing at the inside of his cheek indignantly.  
  
“Call it collateral damage,” Dustin says, all too lightly. “I mean. I _loved_ Dart, but it had to be done.”  
  
Billy goes quiet, hangs his head when Steve puts a hand on his shoulder as he passes him by.

…

El seals the rift shut that night and Billy cradles Bitch to his chest, rubs his fingers against her neck until her purring stops and she goes limp in his arms.

…

He shows up at Steve’s door a couple of minutes to midnight. Wipes at his eyes when he hears Steve’s socked footfall draw closer. The door creaks open and Steve’s voice is soft and gruff with exhaustion when he says, “Billy. Hey.”   
  
Sniffling and not looking his way, Billy says, “Your folks home?”  
  
Steve shifts his weight, grips the door a little tighter and shakes his head, “No.”  
  
Billy nods. It’s chary, cryptic, a little desperate. He forces himself to look up. “She’s gone.” It isn’t– the tone he’s going for. His voice wavers then cuts off halfway through and ebbs into a cracked sound.  
  
Steve looks at him, sad and consoling, realizes a moment later that that isn’t enough. He heaves a sigh and lets go of the door, steps out to pull Billy in. And. Billy’s _tired._ He melts into it, clutches the back of Steve’s sweater tightly and buries his face in his neck.  
  
Because he’s tired of a horde of things. But mostly, he’s just tired of pushing people away.  
  
So he lets himself cry.


End file.
